LOS ANGELES – When the L.A. Kings came swarming in the second period of Saturday’s Flyers win, there was Steve Mason standing cool as a cucumber between the pipes with all the answers.

For the 25-year-old goalie fresh off a three-year contract extension, it was a change from recent games when he was under siege and surrendering goals.

“We’re in a situation where every game is a must-win. I can’t be having a tough time,” Mason said. “I have to make sure I’m a calm presence back there to make sure that the guys are not panicking or anything like that. It’s gonna have to be something that’s a consistent thing moving forward.”

In recent games, it hadn’t been that way. There was a stretch of six starts in which Mason was yanked from the game three times. His save percentage in those games was .846 with a 4.57 goals-against average.

Frustration was building for Mason, who wasn’t getting a whole lot of help from his teammates. The last game in that rough stretch was a crushing 6-1 loss to the Boston Bruins, and the next day was the Flyers Wives Carnival.

Taking in the event for the first time, Mason found himself hanging out with goalie coach Jeff Reese and Hall of Fame former Flyer Bernie Parent.

“It was just a really enlightening conversation with a great goaltender in his prime and my goaltender coach as well,” Mason said.

That conversation was a turning point for Mason, who has two shutouts in his last three games.

Yes, Bernie “Only the Lord saves more than” Parent is still helping the Flyers out between the pipes.

“I see him all the time,” Mason said. “He was Reeser’s idol growing up, so it’s kind of cool that we’re all in this position here. He’s definitely a good guy to talk to.”

Since that chat, Mason has returned to the form he had to start the season when he was stealing wins for the Flyers. He has a stellar .958 save percentage in his last three contests with a 1.35 goals-against average. His teammates know that when he gets that hot, he’s enough to save their bacon.

Against the Kings, they did better at helping him out by keeping the shots to the perimeter and not allowing opposing forwards to get in close.

“They had some time in our end, but we kept them to the outside and they didn’t have too many dangerous shots,” defenseman Mark Streit said, “just a few times when there were some scrambles back there.”

When he was tested, Mason had all the answers for his 22nd career shutout. The goalie is well aware that as he goes, so go the Flyers. They will rely on him heavily if they want a shot at the playoffs.

“It just comes with the position,” Mason said. “There’s certain times in a season where a team will rely on a goaltender to win a game and make timely saves, and that’s a position I look forward to handling.”

It’s been well documented that when Mason was in Columbus to start his career, he struggled for three seasons after winning the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie. He got stuck in a bad mental state, and Philadelphia has proven to be a clean slate.

He wasn’t about to let that happen again after his recent streak of poor play in which his day at the office was ended early.

“Short-term memory,” Mason said. “You just put it behind you and move on. You don’t like talking about negative things.”

When he’s playing as he has the last week, the goalie almost forces coach Craig Berube to turn back to him next game.

“He looked really good again, sharp,” Berube said after Saturday’s win. “I think a lot of that, too, is giving shots from the outside. That helps.”

Today against the San Jose Sharks, the second-place team in the Pacific Division, Berube may go to Mason for a fifth straight game.

“They’ve got some tremendous forwards and a very good goaltender and some skill on the back end as well,” Mason said. “This is gonna be another test.”

And if it is indeed Mason who gets the nod, he’ll likely hear the words of a Flyers legend in the back of his head to help keep him calm and carrying the team.